Eye-shank button attachment



July 7, 1970 F. G. MERSER I EYE-SHANK BUTTON ATTACHMENT Filed March 28, 1968 ,Z'zzaemtar "122 j /f Jim I United States Patent 3.518,729 EYE-SHANK BUTTON ATTACHMENT Francis G. Merser, Framingham, Mass., assignor to Dennison Manufacturing Company, Fralningham,

Mass., a corporation of Nevada Filed Mar. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 716,784 Int. Cl. AM ]/18 U8. CI. 24-90 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The combination of a button having an eye shank, a sheet of material and a fastener comprising a filament looping through the material and eye with heads on the filament seating on the side of the sheet opposite to the button.

Objects of the invention are to provide a method of attaching a shank button to fabric or other sheet material which is quick, easy and economical and which holds the button securely in position.

In one aspect this invention involves the combination of a button having a shank with an eye, a sheet of material and a fastener comprising a filament with a head on each end, the filament extending through the sheet, thence through the eye and thence back through the sheet with said heads seating on the sheet on one side of the sheet and the filament looping through the eye of the button shank on the other side of the sheet. Preferably one of said heads is a bar extending transversely of the shank and the shank is resilient so that the bar may be turned longitudinally of the shank for insertion through said sheet and eye, and the head on the other end of the filament is also a bar so that either head may be inserted through the sheet and eye.

In another aspect the invention involves the method of attaching a button having a shank with an eye to a sheet of material with a fastener comprising a resilient filament with a head on one end and a transverse bar on the other end, the method comprising flexing the filament to bring the bar alongside the filament, inserting the bar through the material, thence through said eye and thence back through the material, and then permitting the resilient filament to return the bar to its transverse position so that the bar and head are on one side of the material and the filament loops through the eye of the button shank on the other side of the material.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a button secured to fabric;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing a method of attachment;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified fastener.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises a button 1 having an eye shank 2 of Well-known type. The button is secured to a sheet 3 of fabric with a fastener comprising a filament 4 having heads 5 and 6 on opposite ends. As described and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 633,256, filed Apr. 24, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,399,432,

ice

the fastener is preferably molded in a unitary piece of polyurethane so that the filament is resilient. At least one of the heads comprises a bar which normally extends transversely of the filament but which, by virtue of the resiliency of the filament, can be bent alongside the filament and returns to its transverse position when released.

A suitable tool for applying the fastener is disclosed in the application of Arnold R. Bone, Ser. No. 711,771, filed Mar. 8, 1968, now Pat. No. 3,470,834. This device comprises a needle 7 having a bore slightly larger than the bars 5 and 6 and a slot along one side, and a plunger 8 for ejecting a bar from the needle. One way to use the device is to depress the fabric with the shank and then insert the needle through the eye and folded fabric as shown in FIG. 3 and then eject the bar 5 With the plunger 8, whereupon the bar 5 is returned to its normal transverse position shown in FIG. 2 by the resiliency of the filament. Another way to apply the fastener is to insert one bar through the eye and then, with the aforesaid device, insert first one bar through the fabric and then insert the other bar.

Thus a shank button may be attached to sheet material quickly and easily and the button is held securely in place.

In the modification shown in FIG. 5 the bar 5 is offcenter with respect to the filament 4 to facilitate insertion of the bar.

I claim:

1. The combination of a button having a shank with an eye, a sheet of material and a fastener comprising a filament with a head on each end, the filament extending through the sheet, thence through the eye and thence back through the sheet with said heads seating on the sheet on one side of the sheet and the filament looping through the eye of the button shank on the other side of the sheet, the filament being flexible so that the sheet may remain substantially fiat and the filament being short enough to hold said shank close to the material, each of said heads being substantially perpendicular to the filament and being thin lengthwise of the filament so as to seat on said sheet without projecting therefrom.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein one of said heads is a bar extending transversely of the shank and the shank is resilient so that the bar may be turned longitudinally of the shank for insertion through said sheet and eye.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the head on the other end of the filament is also a bar so that either head may be inserted through the sheet and eye.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,898,225 2/1933 Szabo 24-7390 2,854,719 10/1958 Davies 24-150 3,103,666 9/1963 Bone. 3,382,546 5/1968 Palmay et al. 24-90 FOREIGN PATENTS 828,618 3/1956 Germany.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2265 

